Refuse-collecting vehicles



Sept. 17, 1963 e. 'r. GIBSON REFUSE-COLLECTING VEHICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1961 Sept. 17, 1963 G. 'r. GIBSON REFUSE-COLLECTING VEHICLES Filed Aug. 28, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 17, 1963 G. T. GIBSON REFUSE-COLLECTING VEHICLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 28, 1961 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,1 04,021 Patented Sept. 17, 1963 3,104,021 REFUSE-COLLECTING VEHICLES George T. Gibson, Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland, assignmto John Gibson & Son, Limited, Edinburgh, Scotland Filed Aug. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 134,362 4 Claims. (Cl. 214-503) This invention has reference to refuse-collecting vehicles of the kind having a tipping body provided with a pendulously supported rear wall or door carrying or forming a barrier or push plate at the foot thereof and an hydraulic ram and cylinder assembly whereby the rear Wall can be rocked so that the barrier or push plate sweeps over the floor of the body to push refuse deposited thereon to the front of the body and thereafter returns to its normal position, the ram being connected to the rear wall or door by means of a link. Whenthe body is tipped to discharge its contents the rear wall is first freed from the aforesaid assembly and linkwork imparts an initial upward movement to the rear Wall which then swings clear of the body when the latter is being tipped.

In such refuse-collecting vehicles as heretofore constructed it is necessary to release manually the rear wall from the said link when it is desired to tip the body to discharge its contents and thereafter to. connect the Link to the rear wall and one object of the present invention is to provide improvements whereby such manual operation will not be required.

According to the present invention a refuse-collecting vehicle of the kind set forth is characterised in that the hydraulic cylinder is mounted on the chassis of the vehicle and is provided with a hinged link, the hinge being coaxial with the axis about which the body can be tipped and which link makes locking engagement with the pendulously supported rear wall when moved forwardly to cause the barrier or push plate to sweep refuse to the front of the body and when moved to return the rear wall to its normal position releases its locking engagement so that the rear wall can swing clear of the body when the body is being tipped, the link then turning about its hinge.

The invention further consists in a refuse-collecting vehicle as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the link is provided with an elongated slot and the rear wall is provided with a downwardly extending rigid hook which normally extends through said slot, the hook making locking engagement with the front end of the slot when the hydraulic assembly is operated to cause the barrier or push plate to sweep over the floor of the body while the back of the hook is engaged by the other end :of the slot when the assembly is operated to cause the barrier or push plate to return to its normal position, the hook being then in such position that it clears the slot when the rear wall is given its initial upward movement when the body is being tipped.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the improved refuse-collecting vehicle, the body and pendulously supported rear wall being shown in their normal positions;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation of the body of the vehicle in its tipped position and the pendulously supported rear wall swung rearwardly to permit the refuse to be discharged;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 but with the body tipped.

As shown in the drawings the refuse-collecting vehicle is provided with a body pivotally mounted on brackets 11 secured on the chassis 12 of the vehicle so that it can be tipped about a horizontal axis 13. An hydraulic ram and cylinder assembly 14 is provided at the front end of the chassis to tip the body about the axis 13. To the pendulously supported rear wall 15 of the body is pivoted the rear ends of a pair of side arms 16. Said arms are pivoted to the body at 17 and at their forward ends are pivotally connected to side links 18 which at their lower ends are pivotally connected to the chassis 12. When the vehicle is tipped the side arms 16 are turned about their pivots to impart an initial upward movement to the rear wall which normally is supported by trunnions in open-ended bearings 19 at the rear of the vehicle.

The lower part of the rear wall constitutes a barrier or push plate and the rear wall, while being supported by said tmnnions, can be swung inwardly so that the barrier or push plate pushes the refuse deposited within the body to the rear thereof. Such movement of the rear wall is effected by means of an hydraulic ram and cylinder assembly 20, the cylinder being pivotally anchored to a bracket 21 atthe forward end of the chassis. The ram has secured thereto an extension 22 to which is pivotally connected a link 23. This link at its outer or rear end has an elongated slot 24. The foot of the rear wall has secured thereto a centrally located downwardly projecting plate 25 which at its lower end is provided with a hook 26 with its open face to the rear. The hook normally projects into the elongated slot 24.

The rear end of the link 23 has a pin 27 carrying t ree rollers. The outer rollers 27a fit into longitudinally extending arcuate guides 28 positioned one on each side of the link, the curvature of the guides corresponding to the path of the barrier or push plate as it sweeps inwards. The central roller 27 b is engaged by the hook 26. When the rear wall is in its normal closed position the pivotal connection of the link 23 is co-axial with the axis about which the body tips, i.e. the axis 13.

When pressure fluid is admitted to the assembly 26 to move its ram to the right, as viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, the central roller 27b at one end of the slot 24 engages the hook 26 so that the rear Wall is swung inwardly. The barrier or push plate sweeps over the rear of the floor of the body to push the refuse therein to the front of the body. When fluid is then admitted to the assembly to push the ram outwardly the other end of the slot engages the back of the hook and the door restored to its normal position. The hook now no longer makes locking engagement with the link.

When the body is being tipped to discharge its contents by the operation of the hydraulic assembly 14 the initial upward movement of the rear wall, imparted thereto by the links 18 and arms 16, results in the hook 26 being drawn clear of the slot 24. Thereafter the rear wall swings away from the body as shown in FIGURE 2 to permit the discharge of the latter. After the body has been tipped it is returned to its normal position, the hook then slipping into the slot.

The downwardly extending end of the plate 25 provided with the hook works in a slot in the floor of the body and a fin carried by the extension of the ram seals said slot.

When the body is being tipped it is necessary that the pivotal connection of the link 23 is co-axial with the axis 13. To ensure this the hydraulic system of the assembly 14 incorporates a valve interlock 29 which is opened by a striker pin 30 carried by a bracket 31 on the extension 22 of the ram of assembly 20. This pin will operate the inter-lock when the pivotal connection of the link iS coaxial with the axis 13 and then pressure fluid can be admitted to the ram of the assembly 14 to tip the body.

What we claim is: a

1. A refuse-collecting vehicle having a tipping body with a pendulously supported rear wall carrying a push plate at the foot thereof and having a floor, further including means for providing an initial upward movement to said wall when said body is being tipped, means for rocking said rear wall to sweep said push plate over the floor of said body, a link pivotally connected to the end of said means for rocking, said link having a longitudinally extending slot closed at its ends, and a downwardly extending hook member secured to said door and normally extending through said slot, the slot permitting a limited lost motion of said link relative to said hook, whereby the movement of said means in one direction causes the rear end of said slot in said link to make locking engagement with said hook member and said door to swing forward While movement of said means in the other direction releases said locking engagement and causes the other end of the slot to engage the back of said hook and thereby rock the rear wall in the other direction, the hook member being then free to move vertically and clear said link when said body is tipped.

2. A refuse-collecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for rocking said rear wall is a hydraulic ram and cylinder assembly.

3. A refuse-collecting device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the open end of said hook faces rearwardly of said refuse-collecting vehicle.

4. In a refuse-collectin g vehicle having a tiltably mount ed container with a floor and a support for pendulously mounting a rear wall carrying a push plate at the foot thereof and to one side of the tilting axis to provide an initial upward movement of the rear wall when the body is being tilted; a hydraulic ram and cylinder assembly on the vehicle, a link pivotally connected to the end of the ram, said link having a longitudinally extending slot closed at its ends, a downwardly extending hook member secured to the door and normally extending through the slot when the door is in its lowermost position, the open side 'of the hook facing rearwardly and the slot permitting a limited lost motion of the link relative to the hook, movement of the link by the ram in one dierction causing the rear end of the slot to make locking engagement with the hook member and the door to swing forwardly and sweep the .push plate over the floor While movement of the ram in the other direction releases such locking engagement and moves the link to cause the other end of the slot to engage the back of the hook and thereby rock the rear wall in the other direction, the hook member being then free to move vertically and clear the link when the body is tilted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,648,452 Gibson etal Aug. 11, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 606,992 Canada Oct. 18, 1960 

1. A REFUSE-COLLECTING VEHICLE HAVING A TIPPING BODY WITH A PENDULOUSLY SUPPORTED REAR WALL CARRYING A PUSH PLATE AT THE FOOT THEREOF AND HAVING A FLOOR, FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN INITIAL UPWARD MOVEMENT TO SAID WALL WHEN SAID BODY IS BEING TIPPED, MEANS FOR ROCKING SAID REAR WALL TO SWEEP SAID PUSH PLATE OVER THE FLOOR OF SAID BODY, A LINK PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE END OF SAID MEANS FOR ROCKING, SAID LINK HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT CLOSED AT ITS ENDS, AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING HOOK MEMBER SECURED TO SAID DOOR AND NORMALLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT, THE SLOT PERMITTING A LIMITED LOST MOTION OF SAID LINK RELATIVE TO SAID HOOK, WHEREBY THE MOVEMENT OF SAID MEANS IN ONE DIRECTION CAUSES THE REAR END OF SAID SLOT IN SAID LINK TO MAKE LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HOOK MEMBER AND SAID DOOR TO SWING FORWARD WHILE MOVEMENT OF SAID MEANS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION RELEASES SAID LOCKING ENGAGEMENT AND CAUSES THE OTHER END OF THE SLOT TO ENGAGE THE BACK OF SAID HOOK AND THEREBY ROCK THE REAR WALL IN THE OTHER DIRECTION, THE HOOK MEMBER BEING THEN FREE TO MOVE VERTICALLY AND CLEAR SAID LINK WHEN SAID BODY IS TIPPED. 